Section: South Africa Today (South Africa)

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — NATO’s actions in Ukraine are possibly aimed at encouraging Ukrainian authorities to continue its rigid policy and preventing the situation in Donbas of overcoming the impasse, Russian Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko said Thursday. “There is a danger that steps taken by NATO members in Ukraine for the...

KIEV (Sputnik) – It is necessary to begin the elaboration of a roadmap on further rapprochement of Ukraine and the European Union, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Thursday. “We must make efforts so that the European integration ceases to be an abstract concert and becomes closer, tangible and more understanding for the people … Today it...

KIEV (Sputnik) — “[Ukraine] proposed NATO to consider an opportunity to start a political dialogue that should result in accession of Ukraine to NATO Membership Action Plan. We need this dialogue to ensure that the Alliance wouldn’t decline our request,” Prystaiko stated. On Monday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he...

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Monday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that Ukraine would introduce biometric control for citizens of other countries who cross its border, with relevant decisions being already drafted. According to National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov, the decision to introduce biometric...

KIEV (Sputnik) — The report based on the results of the survey stated that the number of Ukrainian citizens who in general had the positive attitude toward Russia had increased from 39 percent to 44 percent in May, compared to the previous survey in February. The report stressed, citing the results of Russia’s non-profit Levada...

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday there were no Russian servicemen in Ukraine. “Russia has not had and does not have any military personnel in Ukraine,” Peskov said to comment on NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg’s words that Russia should remove “thousands” of troops from Ukraine. Moreover, Ukraine uses...

MINSK (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the OSCE PA’s General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions backed a draft resolution criticizing the situation with human rights and freedoms in several countries, including Russia and Belarus. On Friday, the OSCE PA Committee on Political Affairs and Security adopted the...

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US special representative for the Ukraine negotiations was appointed by the United States upon request by Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a briefing in Hamburg. “At the request of President Putin, the United States has appointed — and you’ve seen, I think, the announcement...

The Russian Federation’s Investigative Committee is not taking the assault lying down — in a statement, the body said it will attempt to prosecute the perpetrators with using banned methods and means of warfare, under Part 1 st.356 of the Russian Criminal Code. In the attack, Ukrainian troops carried out artillery strikes on civilian areas...

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States welcomed a decision by the Joint Investigation Team to grant the Netherlands the opportunity to hold trials for the case of the Malaysian Boeing MH17 crash in Ukraine in 2014, the US State Department said in a press release. “The United States welcomes the unanimous decision of the Joint Investigation Team...